Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken (酸辣湯)
by Easiest Chinese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe (酸辣湯), made with cooked chicken and better than a restaurant makes! Loaded with shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and sweet carrots, this easy hot sour soup is savory-tangy-hearty and a little spicy. Simple ingredients, 30 minutes to make, and oh-so-yummy!
This soup will become another of your favorite Chinese take-out food collections, and you can serve it along with Black pepper chicken, Kung pao shrimp, or keto lo mein! Got extra leftover Turkey? Add it to this soup to make the best Hot Sour Soup with turkey!
Easy One Pot Chicken Hot Sour Soup & Big On Flavor!
People love my paleo hot sour soup, made with pork tenderloin so why not share another version that’s simpler you can use cooked chicken, or turkey, or make it vegetarian and vegan friendly.
Why I love this recipe so much –
- Great for using up the leftover turkey (or roasted spatchcock chicken)!
- Simple ingredients and fast to make!
- Tastes just like my mom’s recipe – savory, tangy, hearty, and a little spicy
- Loaded with vegetables and hearty
- Family-friendly!
What is hot and sour soup (酸辣湯)
Hot and sour soup (酸辣湯) is a Chinese soup recipe that’s savory, tangy, hearty, and a little spicy. Traditionally it’s made with pork tenderloin that’s seasoned with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, little starch, and cooking wine then sauteed in a wok to make the soup base. The soup is filled with shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, julienned carrots, wood ear mushrooms, tofu, and dried lily flower buds.
The “hot” comes from ground white pepper and the “sour” comes from white vinegar.
I’ve simplified the traditional recipe and made it simpler and more accessible. It tastes just like my mom’s at home! The flavor and textures in this soup are super addictive and I can totally see it becoming one of your favorites this winter!
SIMPLE Ingredients for Chinese chicken hot sour soup recipe (酸辣湯)
To keep this recipe simple and with accessible ingredients, I simplified the traditional method and added a few personal touches.
- Cooked chicken or turkey
- Garlic and ginger
- Carrots
- Shiitake mushroom
- Bamboo shoots (canned)
- Chicken bone broth
- Scallions
- Soup seasonings:
- Coconut aminos
- Apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- Hot sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Ground white pepper
Must-have ingredients to make this soup
To make this soup taste right, you need bamboo shoots, shiitake, coconut aminos, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, ground white pepper, and hot sauce (I use Frank’s original).
How to make chicken hot and sour soup recipe
- Saute the garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt. Add the carrots and mushrooms.
- Add the bamboo shoots and chicken stock and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium. Add the cooked chicken (or turkey) and simmer for 3 minutes, if using.
- Season the soup with coconut aminos, vinegar, and hot sauce. Stir and taste to adjust the quantity.
- Make a slurry with starch and water. Stir well then adds it to the soup. Keep stirring to thicken the broth.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with scallions, sesame oil, and white pepper. Serve hot or warm.
Common Questions
Yes! The homemade version is loaded with fresh vegetables and with little to no starch. The soup is hearty and healthy, and is the perfect one-pot meal!
1 serving (divided from 6 total) has 260 calories.
1 serving (divided from 6 total) has 9 grams of net carb.
t lasts 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, take the portion you need and reheat it in a microwave or stovetop.
Yes. You can freeze the soup. I recommend defrosting it a night before in the fridge and reheating it over a stovetop.
🙋🏻♀️ Umami Tips for the Best Easy Chicken Hot & Sour Soup!
- Don’t skip the bamboo shoots – this is the ingredient that makes hot sour soup distinct and special. Store a few cans in your pantry. They will come in handy!
- Do add cooked protein – Although this soup is vegetarian-friendly, do add cooked chicken (or leftover Thanksgiving turkey) to make the meal full and complete!
- Or keep it vegetarian/vegan – The flavor of the soup comes from ginger, garlic, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots so it’s totally okay if you want to skip the meat.
- Other variations – Add whisked eggs, add tofu (or check out my soy-free cashew tofu), and rehydrated wood ear mushroom!
- Taste & Adjust – Adjust the soup based on your personal taste! Start from smaller quantities (coconut aminos, vinegar, hot sauce), and add more if you like!
What to serve with hot & sour soup with chicken (酸辣湯)?
Keto egg rolls, Zucchini carrot fritters, Chinese chicken lettuce wraps, Keto scallion pancakes, daikon potstickers, bang bang shrimp, air fryer honey sriracha chicken, Instant Pot Taiwanese meat sauce, Taiwanese fried chicken cutlets, and Chinese sweet and sour chicken!
More delicious Chinese hot soup recipes!
- Gluten-free wonton soup
- Chicken napa cabbage soup
- Spinach meatball soup
- Chicken corn soup (use cooked chicken or turkey!)
- Chinese egg drop soup
- Tomato egg drop soup
- Browse my healthy soup recipes
Chicken Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣湯, Easy!)
Ingredients
- 0.7 oz garlic, minced, about 3 cloves
- 3 tsp grated ginger
- 5 oz. carrots, julienned, about 2 large
- 5.5 oz. fresh shiitake, sliced
- 7 oz enoki mushrooms, optional, 1 packet bundle
- 14 oz. canned bamboo shoots, drain before using
- 3 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil, divided
- 3 pinches coarse sea salt, divided
- 32 oz. chicken bone broth, 4 cups
- 3 cup shredded and cooked chicken or turkey, optional
Seasonings:
- 1-2 tbsp coconut aminos, or to taste
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1-1.5 tbsp hot sauce, I use Frank’s original hot sauce
- 3 tsp tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch
- 2-3 bulb scallions, chopped
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Dash ground white pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the garlic and ginger in one bowl and the carrots and shiitake in a second bowl. Drain the bamboo shoots.
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, add 1.5 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt. Saute for 5 seconds.
- Add the carrots, mushrooms, 1.5 tbsp oil, and 2 pinches of salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the bamboo shoots and stock. Stir and cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium. Add the chicken (or turkey) and simmer for 3 minutes, if using.
- Season the soup with coconut aminos, vinegar, and hot sauce. Stir and taste to adjust the quantity to your liking.
- In a small bowl, make a slurry with 3 tsp starch and 2 tbsp water. Stir-well then add it to the soup. Keep stirring to thicken the broth, 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with scallions, sesame oil, and pepper. Serve hot or warm.
Video
Notes
- It lasts 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, take the portion you need and reheat it in a microwave or stovetop.
- Yes. You can freeze the soup. I recommend defrost it a night before in the fridge and reheat it over a stovetop.
- Don’t skip the bamboo shoots – this is the ingredient that makes hot sour soup distinct and special. Store a few cans in your pantry. They will come in handy!
- Do add cooked protein – Although this soup is vegetarian friendly, do add cooked chicken (or leftover Thanksgiving turkey) to make the meal full and complete!
- Or keep it vegetarian/vegan – The flavor of the soup comes from ginger, garlic, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots so it’s totally okay if you want to skip the meat.
- Other variations – Add whisked eggs, add tofu (or check out my soy-free cashew tofu), and rehydrated wood ear mushroom!
- Taste & Adjust – Adjust the soup based on your personal taste! Start from smaller quantities (coconut aminos, vinegar, hot sauce) and add more if you like!
Nutrition
Gosh this soup is so yummy and easy to make. I was able to whip it up in 30min while also being a busy momma! I am so happy I found these recipes.
One of my favorites!! Tons of feel- good flavor! This will become a family fave 🙌
Thank you, Lisa! Appreciate it!
Wow! This recipe is easy and so delicious. I made it twice this week and didn’t even use stock- it was still so tasty. I added water and some mushroom powder since I did not have broth. My husband loved this soup!
That’s fantastic!
Great recipe! Very tasty.
Such wonderful flavours! I’ve been wanting to try this since I saw your post on Instagram. Love it – thank you!!
Like all Chihyu’s other recipes, this soup was incredibly delicious! I used a precooked rotisserie chicken ended up doubling the coconut aminos and hot sauce for a little more tang. It was overall an easy dish and I’ll definitely be adding this to my list of weeknight meals! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
That’s awesome and I love that you follow your taste buds to make adjustments to your preference. This makes cooking fun and easy!
I got really used to eating natural ramen noodles recently, but then had to eliminate them because of lectin issues. It’s SO nice to have this soup instead, because I get the same kind of satisfying feeling from it, or maybe more so. Thank you for a beautiful hot and sour soup recipe!
You are so very welcome, Megan! Hope you feel better soon!
This soup is SO DELICIOUS! Tastes like it took hours to prepare but is so quick and easy to make! We’ll be having this often at our house! So hearty and comforting!
That’s awesome. Thank you!
I absolutely loved this recipe. It was so simple and a refreshing use of leftovers. I will be making all of the soup recipes on this blog this winter! It was so easy and even my picky eater loved it
I’m so happy to hear that!